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Ephesians chapter 3 is our study this morning, third chapter of Ephesians. If you were with us last time you got in on message number one of this text and we're going to spend several weeks in it because it is so very important. I feel the truths in this text were part and parcel of the basic foundation that was laid here at Grace Church some eight or nine years ago when we were in this book for the first time and so we want to take our time examining again these very, very important areas.
Ephesians chapter 3, verses 14 to 21 is a passage that's stuck right in the middle of our study of the book of Ephesians and it is a key passage. It bridges the first and second section of the book. And you'll remember that I've told you that the first three chapters of this Ephesian letter described the resources of the believer and the last three describe how the believer is to live. So you have all of these resources, all of the potential, all of the power, all of the riches, all of the energy, all that is ours in Jesus Christ in the first three chapters. Then in 4 to 6, how that is to be applied to the matter of living. And the bridge in between is this little passage 3:14 to 21, which I call the ignition. Now, the first three chapters describe the power plant of the Christian. The last three describe the race the Christian drives in and this is how you get the power turned on. And before the race begins in chapter 4, you've got to get the ignition on at the end of chapter 3.
Now, the key thing that we've been looking at here then is that this is what we call the Christian's turn on or the Christian's ignition. This is where you really get the energy that God has already given you in Christ, fired up for the matter of living, for the matter of operating, for the matter of being to the glory of God. Now, there's a kind of a key thought here. As I was examining again our study from last time I noted that Paul begins in verse 14 by a prayer. And we've already talked about that in our last study at length. And he bows his knee and he prays. And he is praying that Christians would really turn on. That Christians would really begin to see the power flow. And the resource for his prayer is in verse 16. It is the riches of God's glory. See it there in the middle? In other words, he is saying, "God, on the basis of the riches of Your glory I want You to release this power in the believer?" And that little word riches reminded me that Paul has used that a multiple of times in the first three chapters. Christians are rich. We are so rich that we don't even comprehend how rich we are. In fact in chapter 1 in verse 18, Paul prays his first prayer in Ephesians. And he prays that we would know the riches of the glory of our inheritance.
In other words, it is an inconceivable, incomprehensible richness that we have. And having prayed that we would understand it in chapter 1, in chapter 3 in our text he prays that we would use it. I think you are all aware that somebody once said that the average person uses one-tenth of one percent of his brain. And I would venture to say that the average Christian probably uses one-tenth or less of the percentage of the power of God that is available at his disposal. We limp along. We chug along on one misfiring piston instead of going on all eight as the Spirit of God has designed. "We are rich," he says in chapter 1, verse 7. "We have the riches of His grace." Verse 11, "We have an inheritance." Verse 14, again, "We have an inheritance. Incredible riches." Chapter 2, he tells us, verse 4, "God is rich." And then in verse 7, he wants to show us the exceeding riches of His grace. So in chapter 1, he says, "We're rich." In chapter 2, he says, "We're rich." In chapter 3, verse 8 - look at it - "That he should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Once in each chapter, at least, he says that, "We are rich. Unsearchably rich. Incredibly rich. Inestimably rich," and so in chapter 1 he prays that we would understand it. And in chapter 3 he prays that God would enable in us - that God would enable us to use it. It doesn't do any good to be rich unless you use it.
Now, just how rich are we? Well I don't know how to illustrate it, other than to say this, "We are so rich," - now get this - "that we own everything God owns. That we possess everything He possesses." In case you question that, you need to read again Ephesians 1:3. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," - now listen to this - "who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ." We are as rich as heaven is. In fact, we have been made, according to Romans 8, "heirs and joint-heirs with Christ." We are as rich as heaven. God is going to, in the ages to come, pour out the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness on us. There's no limit to our riches in Christ.
We might illustrate it in this manner. I wanted to find out this week who the richest people were in the world. I found out that the Dupont family is the richest family in the world. And then I got a little information on the richest women. Thought you might be interested in that. A Mrs. Charles Joseph Walker is a black lady millionaire, self-made, started with nothing and invented a hair straightener. She's one of the wealthiest women in the world. Shirley Temple, who is another of the wealthiest women of the world, made her first $1 million before she was ten years old. Anna Dodge who died in 1970 left $96 million. And then there is Princess Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria of Orange, not Orange County, Orange in the Netherlands. Princess Wilhelmina died in 1962 and left a mere $550 million. Well, now when you come to the richest men you're up into the billions and you really can't count it. You know J. Paul Getty, John Davis, Andrew Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Andrew Milan, John MacArthur - not this John MacArthur - often I thought if the Lord could have just mixed up a little bit on that, might have unloaded it on me, you know? But these people have billions of dollars.
And, you know, when we talk about somebody having millions or billions we understand that that's really rich. We can imagine the cars and the houses and the yachts and the planes and the buildings and the factories and the plants and the investments and the securities and the safes full of money and we can visualize all of that economic stuff. We can see all of that kind of riches. And we understand a little about what it means to be rich. But when we talk about being spiritually rich we're kind of at a loss to understand that. We don't know what to look at. We don't know how to visualize it. So, I thought maybe you could visualize it this way. These people are rich. They're the richest people in the world, but if you compare them against everything in the universe they're not very rich at all, are they? If God, for example, owns every single commodity in the universe He's rich. Now, these people have a billion dollars. Compared to that, they are really nothing. See? Nothing. God owns everything on the planet earth to begin with. God owns every planet in our solar system. God owns every planet in every solar system and every star in the entire endless universe and they own one little area of the earth. That's quite a difference. So compared to God they're paupers.
But listen to this. Spiritually speaking, God owns everything and as a Christian so do you. You see the difference? You are really rich in the spiritual dimension, inconceivably rich. Unfortunately, we function only on one-tenth of one percent if that of that riches. The power of God is amassed in our behalf. Unsearchable riches are ours. Now, on the basis of this Paul prays his prayer. He says, because the believer is so rich, because as I pointed out last time, he's rich in mercy and grace and kindness and all things we found all over The New Testament that we're rich in, because we have all of these things he says, "Oh, Father, I pray that You would grant them according to their riches that they would move out and know Your power." That's his prayer. Boy, to have it all and not to use it is pretty sad. God has been so generous in making us rich we ought to be able to use those riches. We ought to be able to function on those riches. We ought to be able to daily use them in the living - the process of living.
I remember a man in - I told you about him some years ago - in the city of Downey named Mr. Stamps. He owned the city of Downey. For all intents and purposes the whole city had to buy all of their land from him. As the city expanded they kept buying more of his land. He was extremely wealthy man. He owned the country club, but he used to dress so tacky. And he used to look so skuzzy all the time, unshaven and everything. You didn't know that word? It's a Greek word for ragged. Anyway, he was a terrible looking old guy. And one day while he was out on his own country club golf course, the police arrested him for vagrancy. They didn't know who he was and they heard about it, believe me. I think they put in a new police chief after that. But anyway, he ran the show. But he didn't look like - he didn't seem to appropriate his riches.
I read this week about a man named Julian Ellis Morris. Julian Ellis Morris was a very, very wealthy man. He - however, used to love to dress like a tramp. In fact that was the style of life that he chose. He dressed like a tramp. Sold razor blades, shampoo and soap on the west coast of England in the English resort city of Blackpool. And he sold it door to door, dressed in an old tattered, beaten up Army coat and some tattered and ragged canvas shoes, he went from house to house selling razor blades, soap and shampoo. When he was done at night he would return to his mansion where he had three television sets, two cars and he would have his chauffeur-driven Daimler limousine with his chauffeur take him to dinner. Or else he would catch a flight to Paris where he would lavish gifts on the two girls that he kept there. He died at 75 and left a fortune. Well, it's hard to imagine somebody with all that stuff not living it up, right? I mean, it seems a little ridiculous to have that on and get on a pair of old beat-up tennis shoes and sell soap door-to-door.
But, it's not unlike some Christians who spend most of their time running around in the tattered rags of their own inadequacy when the resources of God's power are available. They just don't ever bother to apply them. It doesn't make any more sense. It makes less sense. Now, Paul here is praying that incredibly wealthy Christians who have immeasurable spiritual resources will use them in the matter of living. Will apply them to life. You know, Paul sees what everybody in the ministry sees, what every perceptive Christian sees and that is Christians who never really use the resources that they have. It's sad. And so his prayer is based on that.
In fact he starts out in verse 14 - I'm reminding you now of what we said last time – saying, "For this cause." In other words, because of something and because of what? We have to go back to verse 1 where he started this statement before he was interrupted by his parenthesis. "For this cause I pray." What cause? Back to verse 22 of chapter 2. "Because you are built together in Him for a habitation of God through the Spirit." That's the point. In other words, because the believer has dwelling in him Christ, God and the Holy Spirit. All three mentioned in that verse. In whom is Christ, God is mentioned and in the Spirit. Because they all dwell in you, you are incredibly rich and because of that resource he prays that you would really begin to turn the power on so that ultimately verse 20 would be a reality, you would see exceeding abundantly above all you could ask or think according to the power that works in you.
Now, this is the Christian's turn on. He wants you to get to verse 20 where you'll really see the power flow. And you've got the resources, you've got the engine, you've got the energy, you've got the power, it's all there, you've just got to turn it on. Now, in Paul's discussion here of how to get turned on there are five progressive steps. First of all, we go down through this progression. Now I told you last time this is a series in the Greek what we call hina purpose clauses, a purpose result clause. Do this in order that this may happen, in order that this may happen, in order that this may happen, in order that this may happen. You can't jump in the middle, you can't start at the end, you've got to start in the beginning and it's a sequence. It's a progression. And it all starts with inner strength and then proceeds to the indwelling Christ, incomprehensible love, infinite fullness and internal power. Finally, you get to the place where internal power is released. But not until inner-strength, the indwelling Christ, incomprehensible love, infinite fullness. And that leads to internal power. We're going to cover these in the weeks to come.
Now, let's begin at the beginning. For the Christian to really get his power turned on, for the believer to really know the energy that is there in operation he starts with this concept of inner strength, verse 16. Now here's Paul's prayer. "That you would be, first of all, strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man." Now, this is a very basic concept but I want you to get it, so I'm going to keep it as simple as I can this morning. It is a very important and essential doctrine for the life of the church of Christ, for your life.
Here is the first step, "strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man." Now, this is where it all begins if you're going to know the power of God in your life. And you know, most Christians, as I say, never really experience it. They sort of limp along. They can't resolve their home conflicts. They have hassles getting along with their family. They can't seem to adjust to the job. The neighbors give them problems. They're sort of weak. They're sort of infirm on the inside when challenged with an incredible or important opportunity for service to Christ. They feel inadequate. They try to do the best they can to be an example of Christ but they falter. They have internal anxieties and pressures and problems. They've got to go to the Christian counseling center. They've got to get help. You know, most Christians never ever get to Ephesians 3:20. Never. They don't even know what it is to see exceeding abundantly above all they can ask or think operating in them. They don't even know that.
But, it isn't God's fault. It is theirs, because the energy is there. The availability is there. The engine is there. The riches are there. It's only a matter of appropriation. And it's a sad thing that Christians, as well as the rest of the world suffer from a weak inner man. That's what he is trying to overcome here. The inner man is the real issue. You have a weak inner man. You suffer from frustration and mental strain and emotional and spiritual imbalance.
Now, we would expect the unregenerate world to lose the battle of the inner man, wouldn't we? We don't expect unregenerate people to have great self-control over sin. You know, we don't go into the local bar and say, "All right, everybody, put that stuff down and shape up." You're wasting your time. Last night we had a party in our neighborhood. I mean it was - if you lived anywhere near Balboa and Devonshire you were at the same party. You was - no way you could avoid that party. They had a rock - I don't know if it was a band or not - it was a rock hysteria going on with loud amplifiers and drums - the music made absolutely no sense. You could tell by just listening to it, it was right out of the pit. And kids everyplace. And this morning we came out. Our front lawn had beer bottles all over the place. You know, that is not a good testimony for the pastor. So, I had Marcy – and Marcy and I, we picked up the beer bottles and put them in the trash and then we thought that that's probably not a good testimony either. So, this afternoon we're going to dump them in the Jones' trash across the street. No, we wouldn't do that because they go here to Grace too. So, we won't.
But anyway, we're now trying to think how we can get rid of them in the right way. But anyway, there were kids all over the place. There was drugs and - oh, it was just - a terrible racket, dragging up and down the street and all this. And Patricia and I were talking about the fact that - you know, first of all, these rowdy kids, what are they doing? You know, you can't sleep and all this stuff. And then I said, you know, I said - what else would you expect? What else would you expect from people who have no resource to control their inner man? They express it in whatever is permissible, whatever is allowable and whatever feels good. What else can you possibly expect? These are just people without Jesus Christ. These are people with no resource to control the inner man.
But on the other hand, you know, sometimes we as Christians find ourselves in a position where we don't seem to be able to control it either. Maybe it comes out in the things we say or the things we think or the things we do that are unacceptable to God, a failure to be obedient to follow up on spiritual resources - whatever it is - but very often, it happens even to Christians. Sometimes we lose the struggle with the inner man.
Now, what is the inner man? What are we talking about? Well, we don't have to get too heavy about this. The inner man is just the real you, the inside you. Now, we've spent a lot of time on the outer man. Maybe that will help you to see the inner man by contrast. Now, you all took good care of the outer man this morning. We all look lovely, wonderful. Some of you took especially good care of the outer man. You got up this morning and immediately you faced the outer man in the mirror. And you brushed it and you fixed its teeth and then you put on its face, if you're a lady. And if you were a man you took it off, you know? You're very concerned about the outer man. And you went immediately downstairs after you had clothed the outer man and you fed the outer man. And hopefully you did because it's good for you to be fed because then you're alert and your mind can function. And you got the outer man wonderfully prepared. And you came here and now we're endeavoring to minister to the inner man. The inner man is just the real you. It's just the spirit and soul part of you. And that's the thing that needs to be strengthened.
You know, I've been thinking to myself a lot lately about this craze we have in America of exercise. And I've been realizing that the Bible says bodily exercise profiteth little. Not nothing, but little. And there are some people who are really super pre-occupied with that little. They run. They diet. I mean, they wouldn't miss their protein drink. They are very outer man conscious. And if there was some way we could get them to spend half as much time on the inner man, we could revolutionize their lives. Christians should be preoccupied with the inner man. The inner man is the eternal part; the spirit, the soul, the real you.
Let me show you the contrast of the two by having you notice 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 16. Second Corinthians 4:16, and here Paul contrasts both. He's talking here about a situation of persecution which he was caught in as was common. He had been perplexed and he had been distressed and he had been persecuted and he had been cast down and he had been bearing in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus. There was a lot to suffer in his ministry. "Death was working in him," he said. But he says in 16, "For which cause we faint not." In other words, even though we've got a lot of trouble on the outside, a lot of hassle on the outside, a lot of persecution and so forth, we don't faint. "Though our outer man perishes," - watch this - "yet the inner man is renewed," - or better refreshed - "day by day." Now, you see, Paul was never preoccupied with the outer man. He says, "God delivers fresh strength to that inner man every day."
That, beloved, is the process of growth in the spiritual life. Your inner man being strengthened. Your inner man being revitalized and renewed every day. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, in verse 17, Paul talks about the fact that the Lord came to him in a time of distress and strengthened him giving him victory over the lions that would have devoured him. Paul was very conscious of strengthening the inner man. Now watch this, the outer man decays, the inner man accelerates and ascends. Keep that in mind. As a Christian, as you get older, your outer man declines. You can't avoid it. It just happens. The older you'll get, the further it declines. And the older you get as a Christian and the more you grow as a Christian and are refreshed every day, actually, spiritual growth leaving the base say of your outer man does not go like this - spiritual growth does not ascend up like that. It goes like this. Because the outer man diminishes, declines and decays while the inner man ascends. Which means the older you get in Christ, the older you get as you're renewed by the Spirit, the further away you come from the outer man. The less concerned you are about it.
But you see, the Lord has a way of allowing us, when we're saved at this point, to then begin to grow away from those things as they descend and we ascend. So Paul says, "The outer man, I admit it, is perishing all the time. It's declining. But in proportion to the decline of the outer man is the renewal of the inner man so that I ascend in the inner man to Christ, and to God. And the more I come to Christ and the closer I come to God and the more I'm strengthened in the inner man, the less I'm concerned about the declining of the outer man."
Now, if you're getting old and you're concerned about it and you're getting old and you're afraid of dying and you're getting old and it bothers you a whole lot, then I would venture to say that your inner man is not ascending in proportion to the declining of your outer man. God has a way of just making that all right. So, what are we seeing then? Paul says, "Our outer man may be perishing." It's a process he's talking about here. "But our inner man is revitalized, increasing, richer, deeper, stronger every day."
Now, that's what he is after. Now let me say this to you, friends, "If - if this is true of Paul," you say, "that his inner man was renewed and revitalized and refreshed every day, why isn't it true of me?" Because, simple thing, the renewal of the inner man is dependent upon the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's work is dependent upon your yieldedness. The New Testament says, "Quench not the Spirit." Right? The New Testament says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you're sealed." Now, if you grieve the Spirit and you quench the Spirit, you cut off the resource, you cut off the flow of refreshment, then your inner man is not revitalized every day and you're not going to experience what Paul experienced.
The key thing, then, - go back to Ephesians - the key thing here is to start with it, "you be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man." In other words, that you allow the Spirit of God to do that revitalizing, refreshing, renewing ministry day after day. Now, the inner man's got to be strong or you can't fight the world, the flesh and the devil. The inner man's got to be strong or you can't overcome. The apostle Paul had that battle, didn't he? In Romans 7. The seventh chapter of Romans, Paul is saying, "In my inner man I delight in the law of God." Romans 7:22, "I delight in the law of God in my inner man." You know, it wants what is right, it wants what is right. But he says, "The things I want to do I," - what? - "I don't do and the things I don't want to do, I do." I have a weak inner man. It has the right desires but I have this outer flesh that messes it up.
And, you see, he says, "Oh, wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" And then he says, "I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ." But he just - he doesn't know the answer yet. He just says, "I know it's in Christ somewhere, but I just don't know where it is." And then you go into chapter 8 and all of a sudden he discovers the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit works and he says, "The law of righteousness is fulfilled in me through the walk in the Spirit." Chapter 7, he had a weak inner man. Chapter 8, he discovered the Holy Spirit and all of a sudden the Spirit strengthened his inner man.
Now listen, beloved, you cannot experience inner strength and the Greek there is to be powered with power, to be dynamited with dynamite, to be strong with strength, to be mighty with might. That's the idea. You'll never know that on your own. You'll never be able to stand firm and solid and unmovable. You'll never know maturity until you allow the Spirit of God to do His renewing work. Until you allow God's Spirit to strengthen you. That's what He wants to do. You say, "Well, is He there to do that?" Oh yeah. "If any man not have the Spirit of Christ he is none of His." Romans 8:9 says, "Every Christian possesses the Spirit. And if you possess the Spirit, Jesus said, 'You shall receive power after the Spirit has come upon you.'" The power is there. The Spirit's there. It's a question of appropriation.
You say, "Well, what's the key?" Galatians 5:16, "Walk in the Spirit and you'll not fulfill the lust of the flesh." That's - it's a simple truth. Walk in the Spirit. The New Testament word walk is the word of daily conduct. Conduct your daily life in the power of the Spirit. Conduct your daily life yielding to the Spirit. Conduct your daily life with a consciousness of the presence of the Spirit of God. That's basic. We must be Spirit-controlled, Spirit-filled, Spirit-conscious and that means walking in the Spirit. You can't just remember the Holy Spirit every so often. Walk in the Spirit. The walk is the picture of a step at a time, every step taken in the energy and the power and yieldedness to the Holy Spirit.
Over in 5:18 of Ephesians, look what it says. "And be not drunk with wine in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." The Greek says be being kept filled. Let it be a constant thing. Constantly filled up with the Spirit. Constantly filled up with the energy and the power of the Spirit of God. Now, it's interesting to note that you will never be able to do that unless the Spirit of God is in your conscious mind. In other words, you can't - let me reduce it this way. Living in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit, being strengthened by the Spirit means that you've got to be conscious of the Spirit. You get up in the morning and it's a question of decisions. Right? All of life is decisions. You decide whether you're going to get out of bed or not. And decide what you're going to eat or what you're not going to eat. Decision, decision, decision, decision. The simplicity of walking in the Spirit is simply yielding each one to the Holy Spirit. Yield each decision to the Holy Spirit.
You say, "Well, in order to do that you'd have to be thinking about the Holy Spirit every time a decision came." That's right. Exactly right. And you say, "Well, if I go around thinking about the Holy Spirit all the time, you know, I'd be like the bruised and bleeding Pharisees." You know, there was a group who lived in Jesus' time that were called the bruised and bleeding Pharisees. They thought it was a sin to look at a woman. Every time a woman came up they closed their eyes and they kept running into buildings. We don't want you to be - we don't want you to be stumbling around smashing into the walls, but if you're going to be controlled by the Spirit then you must be conscious of the Spirit. You say, "Well how do you do that?" It's very simple. Very simple. You fill your mind with the Word of God.
You see, in Ephesians 5:18 it says, "Be filled with the Spirit," a parallel passage Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly." It's the same thing. You allow the word of God to saturate you. "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You." As I hide the word in my heart, as it saturates me, it begins to control my thinking processes. And as it controls my thinking processes, then the Spirit of God brings it to mind instantly at the point of each decision. And then when I yield to that, one step at a time, I strengthen my spiritual muscle. Every time I yield to the Holy Spirit, I exercise my spiritual muscle and I get a little bit stronger in the inner man. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who" - what? - "strengthens me." But, I've got to yield to Him. I've got to yield to His Spirit. I can't do it apart from Him. He - Paul is praying that our inner man would grow strong as we yield to the Spirit. You'll never do that until you're in the Word of God. We all receive the Spirit.
In fact, 1 Corinthians 12 says, "We've all been made to drink in the one Spirit. But for some of us, it's been a long time since we had a good drink." A good drink of the Spirit. We've been functioning in the flesh. If you want to drink in the Spirit of God, systematically study the Scriptures. You might not miss your protein drink, but I wonder if you miss the time in the Word of God. You know, if you took - just figure this - someday, tomorrow will be a good day or maybe today - today's probably better because you'll forget tomorrow - add up on a little piece of paper the time you spent on your outer man. Okay? How much time did it take you to get your outer man out of bed and dressed and fixed up and how long did it take to feed your outer man? Breakfast took 20 minutes, lunch took this, dinner took this and a few snacks in between. How long did it take you to jog your inner man? Your outer man, rather. And, you know, whatever you did for your outer man. How much time did you spend on your outer man? Figure that out. Just do this. Just spend an equal amount of time on your inner man and it will revolutionize your entire life.
You say, "But how do you do that?" Just spend the equal amount of time studying the word of God and intermittently talking to God about what He says in His word. You will literally be revolutionized. But you see, we don't do that. We – you know, for us it's - we worry about that outer stuff and the inner man limps along until Sunday and you come here and say, "Oh, John MacArthur, he'll give us a good ole shot in the arm. We'll be all right for another week, Mabel." See? I see you're really not - you're really not taking - how would it be if you only ate on Sunday? Can't do it.
When you feed the inner man with the Word of God and you feed that in, what happens is the inner man has truth in its frontal lobe, if you will and when decisions come, the first thought is the Word of God and the Spirit has a handle to turn you into God's will. And once you've exercised your will toward the Holy Spirit, you've strengthened your spiritual muscle. And that's how you grow. Now people think, well, I don't know if I could ever get to that level. You see, I'm just sort of a class two Christian. I – and you know, and you think of a missionary or you think of a pastor or somebody as sort of a spaced out, strange - they're up there on some spiritual level and, "Oh, it would be wonderful, but it's so beyond us." No. The only difference between you and me is I'm here and you're there. That's the only difference. I'm talking and you're listening. That's the only difference. Same world, same flesh, same devil bugs me. I have the same infirmities, I have the same spiritual processes to go through to get growth that you do. It just so happens that somewhere along the line, God was gracious enough to give me a good swift kick to begin to apply some of these things, so I could grow to the place where God could use some things.
That's the only difference. I don't have some kind of mystical contact with God. I'm not up there on another level, half-way between you and heaven. No. I'm just one of the people. But I - you know, I'll give you an illustration. When I was in - I used to worry a lot, because in my heart I always felt I wanted to go into the ministry but I hated to study. And I really did. In fact I never studied. All through school I use to - I was very bad when I was little about that. My dad use to break coat hangers on me to try to get me to change, but the older I got the less the coat hangers hurt, so, you know - but anyway, by the time I got to high school, you know, I knew that I was smart enough to just get by. So, in high school I would just get by. Just do whatever I had to do to stay eligible so I could play ball. That was everything, you know. And then I got to college and did the same thing. College was great. You could do a lot of nice things, have a lot of fun and as long as you stayed eligible and okay, fine. I just barely got by.
Well, I had gone through an automobile accident which God had called me into the ministry and I began to worry about it. "MacArthur, you're a real sluff-off. You don't put out any extra - whatever has to be done. You just do the basic, minimum thing. You're never going to make it." And somewhere along the line I decided well, I better change. And I began to change when I got to seminary. And I began to realize that I better start to learn how to study. And I used to hate it. I mean, literally hate to study. I could hardly force myself to do it. But I began to walk in the Spirit. And as I began to walk in the Spirit and study the Word of God in my life, the Spirit of God had handles and then He began to use those handles to lead me and one step at a time I would discipline myself and exercise a little spiritual muscle and I'd get a little stronger and a little stronger and a little stronger and a little stronger. And, you know? Day by day, through the years, God has been exercising my will toward Him by the power of His Holy Spirit and now, you know something? I don't have any trouble with that at all. I don't have to worry about that.
In fact, you can't - once I get going at it, you can't drag me away from it. You may come in and tell me the most wonderful truth in the whole world and tell me the most sad story in all the world and you'll probably hear a few grunts and I'll never lift my head up. Because through simply exercising my will to be obedient to the Spirit of God, through the years, God has strengthened my inner man to the place now where the easiest thing for me to do is to yield to the Spirit of God in the area of ministry to which He's called me. And it isn't mystical, and it doesn't happen overnight. It's the process of spiritual exercise.
Somewhere as a Christian you begin. And you begin to say, "Yes," to the Spirit of God. The word of God is in you. The truth is there so that you can respond to it. The Spirit of God gives you the impulse to what is right to do. You do what is right. You strengthen your spiritual muscle. The next time it's again strengthened. The next time more, more, more. Finally, it becomes the flow of life. You're beginning to operate on another plain. You begin to respond most automatically.
And you know what happens? I've always defined spiritual growth as this: spiritual growth is the decreasing frequency of sin. You see, the more you exercise your spiritual muscle, the more you yield to the Spirit of God, the more the Spirit of God controls your life, the less sin is there. It's never the absence of sin; it's the decreasing frequency of it. And, by the way, the more you grow and the more it decreases, the more heinous it is when it does show up.
That's what it means to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. And you can start right where you are. You can start by absorbing the word of God by saying, "Yes," to the Holy Spirit. Maybe you're tempted to be angry. You're tempted to be lustful. You're tempted to be thoughtless. You're tempted to be prayerless. You're tempted for whatever it is - instead of saying, "Yes," to the temptation, say, "Yes," to what you know is right and you've exercised your spiritual muscle. You're a little stronger. And that's the process that Paul is after.
And then someday you'll grow up and be like Paul. You say, "Oh no, I could-" Same God. Same Holy Spirit. Same resource. Same power. Maybe it's a different will. You need to exercise your will as he did. The apostle Paul got to the place where it didn't matter what happened to the outer man. He grew so far away from that perishing outer man, because the ascendancy of his inner man was going so vertical, he was so far away from it, he could have cared less. Right? Why, when they told him, "You go to Jerusalem," - in Acts 20 - "and you're going to get it, Paul." He said, "None of these things move me, because I don't count my" -if I can paraphrase - "outer man worth anything anyway. For to me to live is Christ and to die is simply gain. Get rid of this outer man thing. This thing is just a problem."
In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, the apostle Paul told us a little about his ministry. He says, "Five times I received 39 stripes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I had been in the deep, in journeyings often and perils of water, perils of robbers, my own countrymen, Gentiles, the city, wilderness, perils - perils in the sea, perils among false brethren, weariness, painfulness of watching, hunger, thirst, fasting, cold, nakedness and besides that the care of the church. This is typical for me, but look, all that stuff on the outer man never gets to me." He says, verse 30, "In fact, I will glory of the things that concern my infirmities. It just helps me keep my concentration on the inner man."
Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 9 to 11 - I'll read it out of the Phillips. Listen to it, cause it's very vivid. "We are handicapped on all sides, but never frustrated. We are puzzled, but never in despair. We are persecuted, but never do we stand alone. We may be knocked down, but we're never knocked out. Every day we experience something of the death of the Lord Jesus, so that we know also the power of the life of Jesus in these bodies of ours and this is the reason we never collapse." He says, "We may get it on the outside, but Jesus is giving it on the inside and that's why we never collapse." And then in verse 16 he says, "The outer man suffers wear and tear, but every day the inner man receives fresh strength."
Are you concentrating on the inner man? Listen, you will never get your ignition on until you do. You will flounder around in impotence until you do. If you want to ever get to Ephesians 3:20, you've got to get to Ephesians 3:16 first. You will never know what it means to have exceeding abundantly above what you can ask or think happening in you until you've started in verse 16. Until it is a daily routine for you to yield to the power of the Holy Spirit. And by that, I simply mean to obey what you know is right before God. As the Spirit of God gives the right impulse in your life, you say, "No," to temptation, you say, "Yes," to the Spirit. You've exercised spiritual muscle. You have been renewed that day. You have been refreshed that day. And though your outer man got one day older, your inner man got one day stronger. And gradually, you're growing away from the mundane. You're growing away and you're coming closer and closer to the God of your salvation. Further and further away from the things of this world that don't matter and less and less preoccupation with them.
And so as you're strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, you're ready to take the next step. And we'll see what that is next time.
Let's pray. While you're praying and your heads are bowed for just a minute, I want to ask you to do something. Right in just the silence of your own heart before the Lord, would you just kind of covenant two things? Number one, would you echo the prayer of Paul? And would you just covenant with the Lord that every day this week you're going to pray this prayer? That you would be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man? Pray it and then ask God to help you to pray it every day this week. God, help me to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. Covenant with the Lord that you're going to spend one week, at least, concentrating on the inner man, not the outer man. Cultivate on the inner man.
And then would you do one other thing? Would you covenant in your heart before the Lord to pray for somebody else that you know and love that they would be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man? Would you pick out some - maybe it's your wife. Maybe it's your husband. Maybe it's your son or daughter or your mom or your dad or your best friend or somebody your heart really yearns for. Would you just covenant with the Lord that you'll pray for them every day this week that they would be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man? I believe God answers prayer. I would - I would be so thrilled to know that you are all praying those prayers. First for yourself, that you would be strengthened. And then for somebody else. And covenant with the Lord that this week you're going to remember that. Sometime you might even jot it down, so you don't forget. Put it where you can see it.
Father, thank You for the work that You can do and will do in us beyond our wildest imagination by Your power if we're willing to be strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man, if we're willing first to focus on the inner man. And secondly to walk in the Spirit, pouring the Word of God into the inner man so that the Holy Spirit can direct us into His will. Oh, Father, I pray for this people what Paul prayed. I bow my knee before You the Father of the whole family in heaven and earth. And because I know that within every believer You dwell, I pray according to the riches of Your glory that You would strengthen them with might by Your Spirit in the inner man. We would all begin again there to get the power moving in our lives, to change this church, this city, this world for You, for Your glory. We just pray that You'll work in our hearts for the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.


text:
141 items
Villages And Trains
Villages and Trains Even Santa Envies
There are two ways to guarantee your Christmas decor will be filled with holiday magic: exclusive Christmas villages and Christmas train sets from The Bradford Exchange Online. Even Santa is impressed by our amazing selection of finely crafted and beautifully detailed villages and trains!
Imagine displaying a spectacular snow-blanketed Thomas Kinkade Christmas village, each beautifully detailed building glowing with welcoming light. Or perhaps your family would enjoy our exclusive Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer® Village Collection. You can even invite Charlie Brown and the gang to join in your holiday festivities with our exclusive PEANUTS Christmas Village Collection.
Have you ever dreamed of a classic train set, chugging away beneath your tree? Now you can make those dreams come true with our COCA-COLA® Through the Years Express Train Collection, or our Thomas Kinkade Christmas Express Train Collection. You may even want to thrill Dad with our exclusive Budweiser Holiday Express Train Collection or a train set honoring his favorite NFL team.
Village Displays and Train Sets Bring Christmas Cheers
Of course, we offer spectacular villages and train sets that make unforgettable Christmas. Give someone you love a frightfully delightful gift with Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Black Light Village Collection. Or give the history buff in the family our gleaming Spirit of the West Express Silver Edition Train Collection inspired by the legendary Indian Head Nickel.
With so many Christmas village sets and Christmas train sets to choose from, you're sure to make Christmas morning extra merry. Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing your heirloom-quality gifts are backed by our best-in-the business guarantee, with returns up to one full year and free return shipping. Don't wait. Shop Now!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sea Turtles of the Wider Caribbean Region, Leatherback Turtle |
The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) is an international scientific network founded in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) in 1981 to ensure the survival of six species of Caribbean sea turtle. The network is comprised of Country Coordinators in more than 40 Caribbean nations and territories. Each Coordinator works closely with a national coalition of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including scientists, natural resource managers, conservationists, policy-makers, educators and others. WIDECAST is based at the Nicholas School Marine Laboratory of Duke University in Beaufort, North Carolina.
WIDECAST will contribute their research and other materials to the Digital Library of the Caribbean. Search the collection in the grey box above, select the "text search" tab to search within the documents or select the link below to browse the publications.


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The ransomware model is increasingly being adopted by cybercriminals who target mobile users, one of their latest creations being able to encrypt files stored on the SD memory cards of Android devices.
A new threat dubbed Android/Simplock.A was identified by researchers from antivirus firm ESET over the weekend and while it's not the first ransomware program for Android, it is the first one seen by the company that holds files hostage by encrypting them.
Other Android ransomware apps seen in the past, like Android Defender, found in June 2013, and Android.Koler, discovered in May, primarily used lockscreen techniques and persistent alerts to disrupt the normal operation of infected devices.
"Android/Simplocker.A will scan the SD card for files with any of the following image, document or video extensions: jpeg, jpg, png, bmp, gif, pdf, doc, docx, txt, avi, mkv, 3gp, mp4 and encrypt them using AES [the Advanced Encryption Standard]," the ESET researchers said Wednesday in a blog post.
The malware will then display a ransom message in Russian asking for a payment of 260 Ukrainian Hryvnia (around US$21.40) to be made through a service called MoneXy, suggesting that, at least for now, this threat targets users in Russian-speaking countries.
Using encryption to hold files hostage is a technique made popular among malware writers by Cryptolocker, a Windows ransomware program that infected more than 250,000 computers during the last three months of 2013. The FBI and law enforcement agencies in other countries seized the command-and-control servers used by Cryptolocker as part of a recent operation that also disrupted the Gameover Zeus botnet.
"Our analysis of the Android/Simplock.A sample revealed that we are most likely dealing with a proof-of-concept or a work in progress -- for example, the implementation of the encryption doesn't come close to 'the infamous Cryptolocker' on Windows," the ESET researchers wrote.
The new threat masquerades as an application called "Sex xionix," but it wasn't found on Google Play and its distribution so far is most likely low.
Another interesting aspect of Simplock.A is that it uses a .onion command-and-control (C&C) domain address. The .onion pseudo-top-level domain is only used inside the Tor anonymity network for accessing so-called hidden services.
One installed on a device, the ransomware app sends device identifiable information like the unique International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number back to the C&C server and waits to receive a command to decrypt the files -- most likely after the payment has been confirmed.
"While the malware does contain functionality to decrypt the files, we strongly recommend against paying up -- not only because that will only motivate other malware authors to continue these kinds of filthy operations, but also because there is no guarantee that the crook will keep their part of the deal and actually decrypt them," the ESET researchers wrote.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.


text:
Learn which credit and debit cards can be used on PlayStation Store.
Learn how to purchase games and subscriptions on PS Store.
Learn about refunds for games, DLC, pre-orders and subscriptions.
Learn about common issues with entering payment information.
A password at checkout adds extra security to your account.
Learn about using PayPal and which countries are supported.
Find out what to do if you don't recognize a payment to PS Store.
Enter your date of birth.


text:
'Om Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma-Sambuddhasa!' 'Honour to the Blessed One, the Holy One, All-Wise!'
Buddham saranam gacchami: Dhammam saranam gacchami: Sangham saranam gacchami:
To the Buddha for Refuge I go: To the Teaching for Refuge I go: To the Order for Refuge I go:
Buddha was born on the border of Nepal about 620 B.C. and died about 543 B.C. at Kusinagara in Oudh.
Buddhism was founded by Gautama Sakya Muni, the rebel child of Hinduism. It sprang up directly from Hinduism. Buddha never thought of founding a new religion. He made no new discovery. He was proclaiming only the ancient and pure form of religion which had prevailed among the Hindus.
The pure and noble religion of the Vedas and the Upanishads had degenerated into dead forms, unmeaning rites and ceremonies. The Brahmins claimed honour merely by their birth. They neglected the study of the Vedas and the practice of virtue. The Brahmins were treated with undue leniency, and the Sudras (the servant class) with undue severity. In order that flesh-eating might have the sanction religion, animals were slaughtered and sacrificed in Yajnas (ceremony where sacrifice is offered). Such was the state of society at the time when Buddha appeared. His tender and loving heart could not bear the shedding of so much innocent blood in the sacred name religion. Buddha declared that merit, and not birth, determined the position of a man in society. The persecuted Sudras joined him in large numbers and he unconsciously became the founder of a new faith.
Buddhism is the religion of earnest, undaunted effort. Buddha demands from you faith in your own Self, in your own latent forces. Without this faith, nothing can be achieved. The first words of Buddha, after his Enlightenment, were: "Wide open are the gates of Immortality. Ye that ears to hear, release your faith."
Buddha, The Apostle of Ahimsa and Love
Buddha was the greatest benevolent man or humanitarian which the world has ever produced. He is one without a second. Benevolence and humanitarianism are the key-notes of all religious movements of the world; but, the benevolence and humanitarian spirit and work of Buddha stand unrivalled in the religious history of the world.
Buddha abandoned his kingdom and went about begging his bread through the streets of India, and preached for the good of men and animal. He had a heart as wide as the sky or the ocean. He did not want heaven. He did not want money or throne. What an exalted selfless Yogi he was!
Many Rishis and prophets have preached the doctrine of love and Ahimsa, but there has never been, in the entire history of the world's ethical thought, a greater affirmation of the principle of Ahimsa and love than has been done by Buddha. No one has possessed such a tender, kind and merciful heart as Buddha. Hence, he is enshrined even now in the hearts of millions of people. His heart throbbed severely and melted when he saw a little suffering in an ant or a worm or a dog. He gave up his body as food for a hungry ferocious animal in his previous birth. Several acts of kindness done in several births made him a Buddha in his last birth.
The Noble Eightfold Path
The gospel of Buddha is simple, and yet wonderfully profound. Buddha analyzed all experiences, and the world process as it appears to all of us, with a scientific frame of mind. He found out that everything is mutable, changing, and impermanent or transitory. There is suffering, disharmony, discord and discontent everywhere in life, on account of the impermanence or transitoriness of things around. This universal experience of sorrow or Dukka is the starting point in Buddha's thought. Buddha did not preach pessimism. He was wonderfully optimistic. He emphatically asserts that there is a way out of sorrow, and a heaven of eternal bliss, within the reach of every man.
The four cardinal truths or principles which Buddha preached are: that there is suffering in the world; that the cause of suffering is Tanha or craving; that the extinction of craving leads to cessation of suffering; and that this extinction of craving can be achieved by the Noble Eightfold Path.
Buddha lays great emphasis on the way of life. He avoids the two extremes of self-indulgence and self- mortification, and prescribes the Middle Way. He said: "There is a Middle Way, O recluses, avoiding these two extremes, discovered by the Tathagata (epithet for the Buddha)-a path which opens the eyes and bestows understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full enlightenment, to Nirvana."
What is this Middle Way? It is the Noble Eightfold Path which constitute, so to say, the entire ethical code of Buddha.
The Noble Eightfold Path consists of the practice of:
Right belief or right understanding or right views; Right aspiration; Right speech; Right conduct or right action; Right living or right means of livelihood; Right exertion; Right mindfulness or attentiveness; and Right concentration or meditation. These are the eight steps in the Way of Life presented by Buddha which annihilates suffering of all kinds and leads to the attainment of Nirvana or emancipation. The Noble Eightfold Path destroys lust, anger, greed, malice and other evils, and purifies the heart. Then dawns Bodhi or Enlightenment which bestows perfect everlasting peace, eternal bliss and immortality.
The word 'Nirvana' literally means 'going out'. It signifies a spiritual experience full of peace and bliss, which is characterized by the 'going out' from the heart of the three fires of lust, ill-will and dullness.
Nirvana is not utter annihilation. Nirvana is total extinction of all that is base in us.
Buddha insisted upon the inexorable Law of Cause and Effect. He said to the people that they lived in a world in which causes always produce their natural and necessary effects and that the consequences of their conduct would, therefore, follow them wherever they went. He said that virtue has its own reward and vice its own punishment and that whatever is done inevitably reacts on the character and through the character affects for weal or woe the destiny of the Soul.
The religion of the Buddha is a pathway to the Nirvanic beatitude. It is a way, and not a creed. It is a scheme of spiritual development, and not a set of doctrines.
Buddha-the Preacher of Practical Religion
Buddha came to the world to show the path of righteousness, to destroy the path of error, and to break down sorrow. Buddhism is not agnosticism or atheism. Buddha did not deny God. He only said: "Do not bother about questions like 'Is there God?', 'Do I exist?', 'Is the world real or not?'. Do not waste your time and energy in useless discussions. Become a practical religious man. Purify your heart. Control the mind. Lead a virtuous life. You will attain Nirvana or emancipation or eternal bliss."
To accuse Buddha as an atheist or agnostic is simply foolish. Buddha found no use in metaphysical wrangling. He declined to enter into metaphysics. Is there God or no God? Is life eternal or non-eternal? These questions were set aside as not requiring an answer for the attainment of Nirvana. The immediate great problem for Buddha was suffering and annihilation of suffering. He asked his followers not to bother about transcendental questions. He set aside all those things which did not help towards the attainment of the goal. He thought it wise to give his followers a way, and not a creed. He thought that speculation about the nature of the ultimate reality was an unnecessary drag on the path of truth and spiritual attainment. The vital and fundamental thing is not to discuss about the ultimate, but to tread the path which takes man out of the world of pain and suffering into supreme abode of eternal bliss and immortality. The nature of the ultimate truth is beyond the reach of mind and speech. If Buddha refused to define the nature of the Absolute, or if he contended himself with negative definitions, it is only to show that the Absolute or the Ultimate is above all definitions.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Show All Answers
Your court date is at the bottom of your ticket. Goodlettsville traffic court is always on the 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays of each month.
Call the Court Clerk's Office at (615) 851-2214 as soon as you know of your scheduling problem. Explain your scheduling problem and the Clerk will review your situation and attempt to resolve any issues. If your court date is changed it will only be changed one time, so do not forget your new date.
First, call the Court Clerk's office at (615) 851-2214 and you will be advised as to what options are still available for the resolution of your ticket, depending on how many days it is past due. Tickets over 10 days past due will be sent to the Tennessee Department of Safety and your driver's license will be suspended. Once this occurs, you will have to pay a reinstatement fee, plus the original ticket fine, plus a default fee of $50 for each offense on the ticket.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security provide a variety of ways to reinstate your driving privileges their website is here https://www.tn.gov/safety/
You can receive information about your driver's license status/reinstatement process in one of the following ways
online- https://dl.safety.tn.gov/_/
In person at one of the specified drivers license reinstate center - https://www.tn.gov/safety/driver-services/locations/dllocationcnty.html Prior to going to one of these stations you may want to contact the reinstatement call center or go online to determine what is required to reinstate your license
By Phone - 1-866-903-7357 You can speak with a customer service representative Monday Through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.
If you are attempting to pay your citation on-line and you receive a message that your violation cannot be paid on-line it means that you have passed the deadline to submit payment on-line and your driver's license information has been forwarded to the State of Tennessee for proposed suspension of your driver's license for non-compliance. These citations must be paid in person in order for us to give a release to present to the State of Tennessee showing that you complied. Our address is 105 S Main Street Goodlettsville TN 37072
Points and duration of time that they remain on your driver's license are not decided upon by the City of Goodlettsville. The State of Tennessee is the issuing agency for your driver's license and they determine that information. You can retrieve that information here https://www.tn.gov/safety/driver-services/reinstatements/values.html
No . We do not accept any proof by email or fax it must be made in person at 105 S Main Street Goodlettsville TN 37072
If you had insurance when the citation was issued, the violation will be "dismissed at no cost" . The insurance must show that it was in effect on the date the ticket was issued. If you did not have insurance at the time you were stopped, you must pay the citation
No, we do not split the violations on a citation . If you have a violation that is dismissible but you want to appear in court in hopes of receiving traffic school bring the proof of compliance on your assigned court date and everything will be heard at the same time or
If you want to have 1 violation dismissed and pay the other in lieu of court this can be done in person at 105 S Main St Goodlettsville TN
No, the judge is the only one that assigns traffic school and this is done on your assigned court date on a case by case basis.
No. We do not accept personal checks. They can be paid by money order or cashier's check made payable to "City of Goodlettsville"
No, a court appearance is not required if the citation is paid prior to the court date . By paying the citation either by phone or on-line the citation is submitted as a guilty to the State of Tennessee and any option to attend a traffic school is no longer available. Once paid this cannot be retracted.
Yes, you must first appear before the court on the initial assigned court date or notify the court 7 days in advance of the court date of your desire to plead "not guilty" and the court will set a trial date for your case.
Yes, an appeal must be filed within 10 days of the conviction date. A 250.00 bond is required in order the appeal to be filed along with the appeal paperwork.
No, Traffic School cannot be used to mask a driving offense per TCA 55-10-301 http://codes.findlaw.com/tn/title-55-motor-and-other-vehicles/tn-code-sect-55-10-301.html ; Code of Federal Regulations https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/384.226#. This means that State and Federal law mandate that, all traffic violations received by holders of a Commercial Drivers License, with the exception of a parking ticket, must be reported to the State of Tennessee Department of Safety, without exception.


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Strickland Nominated As UN Alternate
< < Back toPresident Barack Obama is nominating former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland as one of the alternate representatives to the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
It was among a long list of nominations announced Tuesday by the White House for posts throughout the Obama administration. Strickland's nomination for the mostly ceremonial job would have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The Democrat served one term as Ohio's governor during the recession and was defeated in his re-election bid in 2010 by Republican Gov. John Kasich.
Strickland tells The Plain Dealer in Cleveland the job would involve moving to New York, giving speeches and helping the country's ambassador to the United Nations. He says he's looking forward to the new experience.


text:
Scribble is a hybrid of crossword mentality, positional strategy, and
a true test of your language mastery, similar to the game Scrabble®
by Hasbro. You start with a board that serves for the placement for
letter tiles. On the board there are specific squares that when used
can add to your score dramatically. These premium squares can double
or triple letter values. Some of these squares can even double or
triple your word scores! You must position yourself to grab the
squares and block your opponent from spelling out a "killer" word.
Maintained by: Gwenhael Le Moine
Keywords: crossword,scrabble,cli
ChangeLog: scribble
Download SlackBuild:
scribble.tar.gz.asc (FAQ)
(the SlackBuild does not include the source)
Individual Files: |
scribble.SlackBuild |
scribble.info |
slack-desc |
© 2006-2024 SlackBuilds.org Project. All rights reserved.
Slackware® is a registered trademark of
Patrick Volkerding
Linux® is a registered trademark of
Linus Torvalds


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Gold's swoon has triggered a good deal of schadenfreude, some subtle, some less so.
It's hardly a surprise after eleven years of gains and often tiresome crowing from its more partisan supporters. Question is, apart from the emotional satisfaction of putting the boot in, are these critics justified?
Their complaints seem to revolve around four principal themes:
• Gold isn't an investment. It produces no income and should therefore, at best, be regarded as a trade.
• It can't be valued properly. With no income, and no shortage of existing stocks, the bull case is entirely reliant on an unending supply of greater fools.
• Gold's supporters are true believers, more akin to members of a cult than rational economic actors.
• In any case, it's way too volatile to ever be a proper currency, even if that were theoretically possible or desirable. All the fools who bought the "gold is money" pitch are going to get buried.
Well, maybe.
♦ ♦ ♦
In any case, let's consider them one by one.
• No argument: gold isn't an investment. If it's anything (monetarily speaking), it's base money, or currency. To believe otherwise is a category error. Most serious gold bulls understand that even if the word "investment" is sometimes bandied about carelessly.
Whether "trade" is the right descriptive term is a bit trickier. For some, it certainly is. For others, however, those who categorise gold as money, it's a precautionary holding, likely to do tolerably well if most other things financial are going down the tubes.
• Can gold be valued properly? Seems more like a zen koan than a question with a clear answer, doesn't it? At one level, the critics are undoubtedly right: with no income stream and superabundant existing stocks, gold is entirely at the mercy of perceptions. Still, it's also true that greater fools have shown up with reassuring regularity for the last few thousand years. Is that likely to change any time soon? We're probably each obliged to answer that question individually. And to accept the consequences.
By the way, while gold doesn't yield anything, nor does physical currency. To earn anything on either, you have to lend them out.
• It's certainly true that there's a sizeable subspecies of goldbugs who are cultlike in the intensity of their beliefs. They have their demons, their gods, their sacred texts, and see this crisis as the final scene in a battle between good and evil. Gold for them is a symbolic lightning rod, not to be subjected to dispassionate analysis, much less ridicule.
Thing is, stripped of this emotional baggage (which is in any case rooted in politics and often religion), their monetary beliefs aren't without foundation.
There is, after all, a long history of gold as money. Not as the reflection of some quasi-religious belief, but as a matter of cool, pragmatic, bottom-up agreement. It's what the markets chose and for all its intermittent problems, the (real) gold standard worked well for a long time. Even today central banks all have gold on their radar screens (unaccountably or otherwise) and quite a few are busy acquiring more. Indeed, much of the non-Western world continues to view gold as real money. Foolish? Perhaps, although I don't think so. In any case, ignoring that possibly uncomfortable fact is even more foolish. After all, right now these are the guys and gals with the savings.
• And yes, it does fluctuate, sometimes a lot. It's hardly alone though, is it? US stocks fell 23% in one day in 1987 and some 30% in a few weeks in 2008; the yen tumbled 18% in under a week in 1998. And so on.
Did this lead to their dismissal as an asset class? Of course not. These things sometimes happen in markets where speculation has run rife. When the stars then align and players from every time frame suddenly find themselves on the same side of the market, weird stuff happens. Sensible people understand that and form their views accordingly. Certainly, drawing far reaching conclusions from such structural aberrations is plain foolishness.
Time alone will provide the answers to most of these vexing issues. We'd probably be wisest to pay no more attention to the (often amusing) fulminations of the more extreme critics than to those of their targets.
♦ ♦ ♦
So, has gold bottomed?
Well, nobody knows of course. Short-term, it depends on whether the weak hands are finally out. FWIW, I think most of them probably are. Longer term, what matters are the policies governments and central banks run in years to come. If fiscal and monetary prudence took centre stage, gold would almost certainly go into a long-term nominal bear market. If, as seems to me more likely, the current activist extravagance persists, or intensifies, then the nominal (and probably real) upside still beckons, perhaps with even greater volatility. And, quite possibly, for years to come. We may as yet have only seen Act I.
In any case, caveat emptor.
P.S. The title comes courtesy the traditions of a popular Urdu newspaper. According to a friend who once read it regularly, whenever a local notable died it invariably printed a minor editorial with the heading (for example): "Ah! Qasim Rizavi."


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Slipped a Mickey by Reesenik
All this weekend I'm in San Diego, California at Tiki Oasis 12, the big Tiki weekender produced by Baby Doe and Otto von Stroheim. There is a lot going on here but I wanted to share some photos of the Tiki Oasis 3rd Annual Art Show: Spies, Tikis and Private Eyes, the Spy Briefcase contest (this year's theme is 'Exotic Espionage and Polynesian Pulp') and some amazing artists I've met here.
by Tom Cooper
by David Lewis / Noble Soul Design
by Kirby
The Getaway by Mulder142
Michael Fleming (aka Tweedlebop) & myself
Shag & myself
Baby Doe pouring herself a drink from a spy briefcase
ZeroTiki and his spy briefcase
Jay and his (winning) spy briefcase
Otto and Baby Doe have been targeted…
To the victor goes the spoils
photos by Rusty Blazenhoff & Ken Dashner


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Damca, a Viola dog
Damca, a one year old female Dalmatian dog, came for a homeopathic consultation in March 1999 for a chronic skin problem.
Medical History:
When adopted at the age of two months, she had diarrhea as a result of intestinal worms.
At the age of three months, she suffered from a urinary tract infection accompanied by diarrhea.
At the age of five months, she suffered from festering wounds in different parts of the body: abdomen, chest and throat.
At the age of five and a half months, she had 'kennel cough': a contagious viral respiratory disease.
Damca was sterilized at the age of seven months, before ever being in heat.
At the age of eight months, she suffered from an acute gastritis with vomiting.
When she was one year old, she had another urinary tract infection caused by urinary oxalates crystals.
Two months later, her characteristic skin problems showed up as red and itchy spots on the neck, face, back, and feet.
She was first treated with antibiotics that did not help with the skin symptoms but brought on a digestive response with diarrhea.
She was then brought for a homeopathic treatment of her skin problems.
Damca's characteristics
She does not like traveling by car ever since she was brought home as a puppy and vomited throughout her first car ride. She salivates abundantly in the car.
She loves to play in puddles and mud, and is happy to go for walks in the rain. She is very playful and seems to be in constant motion.
She also likes to lie in the sun.
In constant need of touch and attention, she can damage the house when her caretaker is at home but does not give her as much attention as she would like.
She is very stubborn and undisciplined, does not like training classes, complaints and weeps constantly when in class.
Sensitive to cigarette smoke, she sneezes and walks away whenever someone smokes.
She is scared of car engine noises.
Loves chocolate, Coca-Cola and bread.
Eats everything she finds on the street, even indigestible things.
Prescription: Argentum nitricum 30CH
A couple of months later, as no significant impact was observed, a second remedy was given.
Prescription: Ignatia amara 30CH, with no satisfactory results either.
In September 1999 a third remedy was prescribed: Viola tricolor 12CH
One month later, her skin looked fine and all the itching and eruptions were gone.
Damca's Follow ups:
Between October of 1999 and February of 2005, Damca had to take her remedy, Viola tricolor, only rarely, whenever her skin seemed to start getting irritated or when her behavior seemed to become too edgy.
Over the years, Viola tricolor was given in 12CH, LM2 and LM3 dilutions.
In February 2005, the dog came to the consultation with a new symptom: a red mole, 2cm in diameter in the right armpit, which, from the biopsy, turned out to be a small mast cell tumor.
The mole disappeared after one week of daily doses of Viola tricolor 12CH.
In April 2006, Damca came for a consultation for her obsessive food related behavior: she would beg for food continuously, complaining, and crying endlessly when not satisfied.
This time another Viola came up.
Prescription: Viola odorata 30 CH
She never had any skin issues again, except for once, in 2007, when a new baby came into the family so she was not "the only child" at home anymore. She then developed an acute skin reaction that calmed down and went away taking Viola odorata for several days.
Damca died in April 2012 at the age of fourteen, of old age. She had some kidney issues and walking difficulties when she died. She was put to sleep on her caretaker's decision, when she seemed to be in too much pain and discomfort, complaining and crying a lot.
Discussion and conclusion
Damca had a full and happy life in spite of her difficult character and fragile immune system. She had various health issues right from the start but it seemed that whenever a symptom pointed its head, a dose of one of the Violas would trigger some healing mechanism that always lead to a long period of a balanced state. She would come for follow ups every month at first, then every year for a couple of years, after her first Viola treatment. In her later years, she would come rarely, only when a new issue would arise, get her Viola treatment and disappear for a couple of years again.
Both, Viola tricolor and Viola odorata helped her rebalance herself in different periods of her life. Both Violas are characterized by restlessness, impatience and stubbornness leading towards disobedience.
Viola tricolor is prone to skin problems combined with urinary problems at a young age just as Damca had as a puppy. It is also a remedy that tends to have "ailments from suppressed eruptions" (Radar Keynotes) well reflected by Damca's recurrent digestive problems that seemed to be triggered by the antibiotics she received freely for her skin condition before coming for homeopathy.
Viola odorata presents the unique symptom of "inclination to weep, involuntary, when anything is refused" (Radar Keynotes) that Damca showed clearly in her adult years. This characteristic symptom, along with the general symptom of "cancerous affections" (Radar Keynotes), is what led to switching her from Viola tricolor to Viola odorata.
In Michal Yakir's "Homeopathic Plant Remedies" book, both Violas are placed in the childhood row of the 5th column. Both are described as suited to sensitive and emotional patients that tend to complain and weep easily when they feel deprived or frustrated. They are stubborn and disobedient, just like their multiple skin symptoms.
Which of the Violas was Damca's constitutional remedy? Difficult question to answer since she seemed to have thrived on both remedies. The only obvious conclusion we can draw based on Damca's life is that she was a Viola dog!
Wikimedia Commons: Female dalmatian; Shipdude
Viola tricolor Stiefmütterchen Heartsease; Jürgen Weiland
Categories: Cases
Keywords: festering wounds, worm infestation, urinary infection, gastritis, food obsessions, restlessness, disobedience
Remedies: Viola odorata, Viola tricolor


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Follow these tips on invoicing and collection procedures so you can get what you deserve--your payment.
Admit it: What entrepreneur hasn't felt like screaming obscenities at a late-paying client?
Who can blame you? In the otherwise nirvana-like world of the homebased business owner, getting paid is probably the biggest hassle of going solo. In the corporate world, whether you complete a project or not, you know you're going to get a check next payday, just like clockwork.
But when you run your own business, completing a project and getting paid for it are two completely different entities. Thirty days, 60 days, even 90 days go by after you submitted your invoice, and still no check. Demonic possession sets in as the weeks roll by.
"It's more of a problem today than it was 10 or 15 years ago," says Bennie Thayer, president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Self-Employed. "We're becoming a nation of late payers as heavy debts force businesses to pay some bills one month while others are held over to the next."
So how can you speed up the payment process? Here are some strategies that successful entrepreneurs have been using for years to get paid on time:
- Sign a contract. This may seem obvious, but it's critical if you want to set payment terms upfront. Too many small-business owners rely on verbal agreements when taking on work, and that's especially true for nascent homebased business owners, who are so happy to get the work that they don't want to jeopardize things by being too "demanding" of their new clients. That's a big mistake. Get a contract, and make sure it outlines the project and includes a provision of when you'll be paid. If the agreed-upon date passes, call your client and diplomatically point out that the due date for payment has come and gone. Then ask for an overnight delivery of the check if possible.
- Shorten your billing cycles. While most vendors take 30- to 60-plus days to pay up, there's no reason why you can't add a line into your invoice that reads "Payment due within 14 or 21 days," including the specific date. That way, you have reason to call your contact at the client's office sooner rather than later to check on a payment. Once a client hears you say the check is late, that's usually enough to warrant a call to accounting and the likely processing of your check.
- Rethink your invoices. Are your invoices too generic, too safe? While all invoices should include the client contact's name, the order number and the date the bill is due, don't stop there. Add a 5- or 10-percent penalty for late payments. Check and see if the client has a "favored vendors" list and then see if you can get on it. When you do, add your vendor number to the bill. And always list the project that you worked on�some clients simply need their memory jogged.
- Get money upfront. As a writer, I've had good luck getting up to half the project fee paid upfront. Asking for an advance may seem "uncorporate" at first to some clients, but you're operating in a different world than your client. Positioning the request as a good faith gesture is a strong strategy. Chances are, you'll get it if you ask.
- Join a union. Remember, there's always strength in numbers. So even a solo graphic artist or food caterer needn't go into the payment battles alone. Hundreds of unions exist that can help you track down deadbeat clients and get paid. Clients may snicker at a lone business owner, but they don't like facing down unions. Check your local chamber of commerce or log onto the SBA's website for more details.
- Hire a bill collector. This is a real last resort. Once you hire a bill collector, the chances are remote that you'll ever work with the client in question again. Then again, if you're payment is seriously late (90 days or more), why would you want to? Collection agencies will garner anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of the payment fee, but at least you won't go home empty-handed. Bonus: The Better Business Bureau tracks late payments through collection agencies and documents them. So your diligence may keep others away from a deadbeat client.
- Small claims court. Okay-a last, LAST resort. For $25, you can take your deadbeat client to small claims court. Payments in question are usually less than $15,000 (check out this site for the limit of what you can sue for in your state), but you don't need a lawyer, the hearings aren't that complicated, and you'll have justice on your side. Check your Yellow Pages under "local government" for help.
Remember, getting paid is how you pay the rent. It's your money, not the clients, and you've got a right to it. Don't be afraid to fight aggressively for what's yours.


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Geovision GV-VMSPRO044 3rd Party VMS Software License for 64 Channels – 44 CH
– Intelligent video analytics
– PIP and Focus View functions
– Multi-level password management and support for authentication server
– Smart timeline playback and instant playback
– Support for e-mail notification upon events
GV-VMS is an inclusive video management system that records up to 64 channels of GeoVision third-party IP devices. Its live view and playback template is easy adjustable with the easy to understand drag-and-drop function. GV-VMS offers variety of brilliant video analytics to provide flawless monitoring and to lessen the need for manual supervision. The inbuilt Webcam Server provide allowance to users to remotely access live view and recordings from anywhere using Web browsers, mobile app and Remote ViewLog. This 82-VMSP064-0044 has the compatibility with GV-CMS (GeoVision Central Monitoring Station) and interoperability with a wide selection of third party IP cameras via ONVIF and PSIA make GV-VMS a versatile and awesome surveillance solution.
- Customizable layout for live view and playback with drag-and-drop support
- Support for multi-monitor display
- Support for Microsoft SQL and Access database type
- Support for Service Mode
- Support for up to 64 channels
- Support for over 1,000 IP camera models
- Auto search for IP cameras
- Support for H.264, H.265 and MJPEG codec
- Support for resolution from CIF to megapixels
- Smart Dual Streaming for monitoring and recording
- Support for GPU decoding and GPU fisheye dewarping
- Intelligent video analytics
- PIP and Focus View functions
- Multi-level password management and support for authentication server
- Smart timeline playback and instant playback
- Support for e-mail notification upon events
- I/O and alarm management with e-map and visual automation
- Remote viewing and playback using iOS/Android devices, Web browsers, and GV-Edge Recording Manager
- Centralized management with GV-CMS
- Fisheye 360 degree de-warping for live view and playback
Weight | .06 lbs |
Dimensions | 7 × 5 × 1 in |
Manufacturer | |
Warranty |
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15 hours free childcare for 3 and 4-year-olds
All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get 570 free hours per year. It's usually taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, but you can choose to take fewer hours over more weeks, for example.
Some 3 to 4-year-olds are eligible for 30 hours free childcare a week. Check if you're eligible and find out how to apply.
The free early education and childcare:
- must be with an approved childcare provider
- stops when your child starts in reception class (or reaches compulsory school age, if later)
You may have to pay for extra costs like meals, nappies or trips.
You can get it from the term after your child's 3rd birthday.
Contact your childcare provider or local council to find out more.
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
There are different schemes in Scotland, different schemes in Wales and different schemes in Northern Ireland.


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If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!
When I was a child, I believed in magic. I hated people who burst my bubbles.
As I got older, I wanted to believe in magic. I learned to appreciate the people who burst my bubble so I could see and deal with reality.
As an old man, I believe in the magic of reality and discipline. I have become that person who bursts bubbles. However, I try to do it with positive intent and love.


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Use List Builders, Automations, Surveys & Polls to build a loyal fanbase that engages with your message.
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Creating branded landing pages in a snap with our easy-to-use drag and drop builder. No coding required.
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Tie your landing pages to your marketing campaigns, emails and automations for a streamlined user journey.
Publish your landing pages to your own subdomain for consistent branding across the entire user experience.
Measure campaign ROI with landing page goals, like page engagement and new subscribers.
Segmenting, importing and integrating are all easy to do with our list management tool.
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Give your subscribers a chance to weigh in on various subjects and gauge their interest on new company developments.
Polls give you the unprecedented convenience and efficiency of direct, free engagement with your subscribers.
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E-mail us:
[email protected]
You have arrived at the best country ham and country bacon!
Need information on country ham, country ham baked, country glazed ham, country cured ham or even the smokehouse process? It's here! Just visit around our website.
Check us out for gourmet gifts, corporate gifts, gift boxes.
You think prosciutto, Parma or Serrano is good. Wait until you try good country ham!
Need to know how to fry country ham slices or how to bake a country ham? Actually we recommend boiling a country ham (not baking) as this produces a very desirable flavor. Check out the cooking instructions section that also contains illustrated instructions.
Check out the News section. You may be surprised by what you learn.
Tripp Country Hams
P.O. Box 527
Brownsville, TN 38012
The Tripp Guarantee
If you are not satisfied with your purchases from us at our office or home site, just return it or the unused portion to us within 30 days and we'll gladly replace it or refund your money for the product or that portion of the product returned.


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The current alert over a suspected al Qaeda terror plot, thought to originate from Yemen, has populated the television airwaves with spokesmen for various political agendas, many of them making arguments that range from tenuous to specious. Here's a quick crib sheet on some of the most dubious claims you're likely hearing amid the speculative chatter about what sinister plans al Qaeda may have up its sleeve:
1. The NSA's entire surveillance program is essential. The New York Times is reporting that the current alert is based on an intercepted electronic communication between Pakistan and Yemen. On Sunday said the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee that intercept was part of the NSA's overseas activities permitted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. But an Associated Press story Monday evening quotes an unnamed intelligence official saying that, in the AP's words, "the controversial NSA programs that gather data on American phone calls or track Internet communications with suspected terrorists played no part in detecting the initial tip."
Regardless, it seems clear that the agency's bulk collection of telephone records for every call made within the United States did not play a role here. Even if the communication was a Section 702 intercept, it's still might not have required the kind of vast overseas data collection the NSA conducts. For now, defenders of the NSA program should stick to arguing that this alert is a reminder that al Qaeda remains dangerous and that we need to maintain strong defenses, even at some cost to civil liberties.
2. Obama's "weakness" has emboldened terrorists. Some conservatives have argued that Obama has effectively invited this latest terrorist stirring. Former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum says Obama has appeared "timid," "refused to confront radical Islam" and "won't even use the word terror." Santorum allowed that Obama is conducting drone strikes, "but that is not a comprehensive policy against radical Islam." Former Republican Senator Jim DeMint struck a similar note on Sunday, saying that al Qaeda may be a greater threat than it was before 9/11, in part because Obama has sought to "placate" enemies like Iran and Russia. "The perception of weakness in the administration is encouraging this type of behavior," DeMint added.
Doubtful. Obama's foreign policy vision has drawn credible critics and left even some allies frustrated. But chances are slim that al Qaeda really cares whether Obama tried to "reset" relations with Moscow or extend a hand to Tehran. The group's affiliates in northern Africa and the Middle East are thriving amid the chaos of the Arab Spring, and through a smart understanding that they can be more deadly as semi-autonomous splinter groups now that al Qaeda's group's core leadership in Pakistan has been decimated (thanks, by the way, to Obama's approval of a relentless–and controversial–drone campaign).
3. Obama prematurely declared the war on terror over. After Obama's broad counter-terrorism address in May, which included modest new restrictions on U.S. drone strikes, conservatives were dismayed: "He has now declared the war on terrorism over," groused House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon. Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton charged that Obama had admitted "defeat" in the fight against al Qaeda.
No, he didn't. Obama's speech actually disappointed some liberals actually might like to see Obama declare an end to the terror war–not as a matter of defeatism, but as a step towards policies that rely less on killing and more on capture and prosecution in the criminal justice system.
Instead, Obama warned that the al Qaeda threat "has shifted and evolved from the one that came to our shores on 9/11." As I noted on Friday, he went on to warn of more localized threats," as he put it, "against Western diplomats, companies, and other soft targets." In other words, exactly the kind of threat we facing today.
Perhaps overly inflated expectations with his frequent boasts during last year's campaign about killing Osama bin Laden and putting al Qaeda "on the run." But there's very little sign he's backed away from the fight against Islamic radicals. (Indeed, the U.S. carried out at least three drone strikes in Yemen late last month.) And why would he? Even if you suspect that Obama, in his gut, doesn't like killing bad guys overseas, there's almost nothing a rational president should fear more than presiding over a preventable terrorist attack. It's silly for his critics to pretend otherwise.
Update: This item has been revised to reflect that the intercepted foreign communication was reportedly electronic and not a "call," and some related language has been changed. It was further updated to reflect the AP's subsequent reporting.


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The citrus family is on full display in the produce section of our local supermarkets right now. Time to check out a new citrus friend, the Pomelo!
It looks like a grapefruit, but it has a much thicker white pith. Because of that pithy section, the pomelo is somewhat difficult to peel, but it is worth the extra machinations. The flesh is really fragrant and sweet, however, with none of the bitterness that grapefruit typically has. I think I picked one that was perfectly ripe, which I did by surreptitiously sniffing its stem end while the produce clerks were looking the other way. It had a full grapefruit aroma, so I popped the pomelo into the cart.
Our pomelo was a lovely fellow, but a bit pricey at $3.19 each. I'm hoping that I can grab some pomelos more cheaply at the Asian markets in Albany (these citrus fruits are natives of Southeast Asia), because it really was a nice treat.


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I grew up in Nashville. It was a very intimidating place to grow up if you aspire to sing or make music. Nearly everyone that ever came to work on our air conditioner was trying to be in the music business. Most of the waiters and waitresses were, too. I saw lots of people TRYING to be singers and songwriters, but I didn't know anyone who was actually doing it.
So, I sat on the steps to our basement and wrote my songs quietly, secretly almost. The only person I ever shared them with was my mom. If I wrote one I really liked, I would climb out of my cave and go find her to see if she would listen. She was my first fan. She liked them ALL.
I'm not sure my dad would have "gotten" my writing. I feared a critique from him. I worried that my brother might laugh at my songs or that he might know which girl I was writing about and tease me about that. So, I wrote alone on the steps unless I was courageous enough to play one for mom.
I never even told her (until I really began pursuing it as an adult) that I dreamed of being a songwriter. I'm not sure I even acknowledged to myself that being a writer was my dream. It seemed too crazy and unattainable.
When the time came to go to college, I left my two inch thick folder of songs at home. I didn't even take my guitar. In my mind, I had to let that dream die.
I was tempted by the siren song of a "Commercial Music" class in college. It was taught by a realtor who also wrote jingles. That's a long story, but it was better than it sounds. Not quite what I had envisioned, but it did spark the desire to dust off the guitar again and begin writing for fun once more.
College was followed by a "safe' job. I never once thought of trying songwriting as a career. That dream was dead, remember? It wasn't until I came to a career crisis - meaning I was in a job where I was miserable and was on the verge of being fired - that I decided to quit my job and decide what I wanted to do with my life.
What I discovered was that dreams don't die. They may hibernate, but they are still there. Still breathing, still waiting. We can push them down, beat them up, and deny they exist, but that doesn't take the life out of them.
I have come to believe that our dreams are an essential part of us. If they are not nurtured, a part of us may die, but the dream doesn't.
If you have a dream - even a CRAZY one - feed it and keep it healthy. Every day, let it breathe just a little. Work on that song, pick up that guitar, type a few more lines in that novel, sing with the mirror as your only audience. Give yourself permission to chase the dream, even if you never catch it. The joy in a dream comes as much from the chasing as from the catching.
Hibernating dreams will wake up one day with a terrible case of morning breath that tastes like regret. Keep dreaming and write on!
Marty Dodson is a songwriter, corporate trainer and entrepreneur. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell and The Plain White T's. He once bumped Psy out of the #1 spot on the K-Pop charts but that's another story for another day. Marty plays Taylor and Batson guitars. Follow him here: www.facebook.com/songtownusa, at www.facebook.com/martydodsonsongwriter and at Twitter @SongTownUSA.


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Only the most hated Saints players, coaches, and front office personnel remain as we begin the Sweet 16 round of our "Most Hated Person in Saints History" tournament.
For those who haven't been following along, we've got a full 64-person bracket packed with all the ghosts from Saints past that you love to hate. We're going matchup by matchup, choosing the more hated Saints figure each time, until we've finally crowned a winner as the most hated person in Saints history.
The full tournament can be found directly below. Our next matchup today is between the No. 34 ranked Mike Ditka vs. No. 15 ranked Steve Walsh.
Your decision can be based on anything you'd like, whether it's on the field performance, off the field antics, or anything in between. I highly encourage those veteran fans to share their memories of some of the older persons in question and make their arguments for or against. Younger members may want to wait and read what the veterans have to say before placing their vote.
Voting will be open for exactly 48 hours from the time of publish. Voting results and brackets will be updated as we go along.


text: The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, established in 2014, offers unique insights and new perspectives into Islamic civilizations and the cultural threads that weave through history binding us all together. The Museum is a centre of education and of learning and offers visitors a window into worlds unknown or unfamiliar: the artistic, intellectual, and scientific heritage of Muslim civilizations across the centuries from the Iberian Peninsula to China. Its mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage. Through education, research, and collaboration, the Museum seeks promote dialogue, tolerance and mutual understanding among people.